Second Shooter Guide
A list of stuff that I would like you to do but please don't think I am trying to teach you how to do your job omg please don't hate me
Hellooo! If I'm sending you this it is most likely because we haven't worked together before, and I think it's easier to have some of my preferences and things listed here so that we are on the same page instead of trying to word-vomit them at you at the start of the wedding day. Overall, I trust you to just use your own judgement, but here are some requests whenever possible! –
General Requests
What to Wear
Please dress in understated, professional attire in dark or muted colors. Please no shorts, jeans or casual t-shirts, even if paired with something nicer, and nothing shorter than fingertip length for dresses/skirts. However, athletic shoes are fine (I personally cannot survive a wedding without good walking shoes). If the wedding has a particular dress code for us, or if it's black tie (rare for me), I'll let you know.
Memory Cards
I'll provide you with a 128GB SD card at the start of the day. Please format the card in your camera before shooting on it to prevent corruption, and have a card of your own in your second slot recording backup. I'll unload your images and back them up within 1 week of the wedding, so please keep your backup for at least that long or let me know upfront if you can't for any reason so that I can give you another of my cards for your second slot instead.
Image Usage
To prevent any tricky situations with clients, vendors, and friends/family from seeing any images that I may not ultimately deliver, and because I'd rather they also not see any images edited differently, I kindly ask that you don't use any of the photos taken while working with me on social media and/or ads. However, I'm okay with using some images in private galleries to send potential clients, and/or on your website, only. But, please do not blog, or post entire galleries with SEO optimized to rank in search results for the venue or other vendors.
What to Bring
My contract with my clients says that in an emergency (or if I were late, like if my car broke down or something), my second shooter will take over as the lead photographer. With that said, please come prepared to shoot the wedding as if you were the only photographer hired, with all of the gear that you would need as well as enough batteries and memory cards to last until the end of the night even if you aren't expecting to need to stay until the end.
Creative Freedom + Shooting Preferences
I’m not overly rigid about specific shooting styles or approaches — I genuinely love seeing different perspectives and creative takes throughout the day. If I asked you to work with me, it’s because I trust your judgment and know you’ll capture the story beautifully in your own way. That said, I do have a few personal preferences and habits that help keep our coverage cohesive, so I’ve listed them here as general notes rather than hard rules.
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“I usually shoot on a 50mm or 58mm with a wide aperture for portraits and details. The soft, super blurry background is central to my style and they often mention liking the "dreamy" look so that's something to keep in mind. That said, you know what works best with your shooting style and gear, so don't feel like you are stuck if you think you can make something look better, I'm not hung up on everything looking the same, I like variety just as much.
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Candids, Candids, Candids! I'm really really big on candids, so the more you can help me capture, the better. Especially if I have my camera down, am directing people, am looking away and missing something, it's amazing if you can grab laughs, glances, little scenes and side stories as much as humanly possible.
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Don't be afraid to experiment. If I'm already getting the safe shots, having more
